First Impressions
by Bailieboro
Summary: The Crown Prince meets the Court Physician's apprentice and is intrigued...
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1 : A CHALLENGE**

Merlin knew that the more he let him get to him, the more he would become involved.

He sighed; he had enough to do for Gaius and that was the reason he was in Camelot not to answer to the beck and call of a spoiled young prince. Anyway, he was far from his favourite person.

Thank goodness, as an assistant to the court physician he would have little to do with him. He found him demanding, immature and too self-centred for his liking. He would probably always want to be in the right and expect his servants to kowtow before him. Merlin had never kowtowed to anyone and he certainly had no intention of doing so. He would respect a person's position in this world but fawning was not in his vocabulary.

A man needed to prove his mettle to impress him and gain his friendship and he didn't suffer fools gladly and what he had seen of the crown prince fell into the latter category. He realised that as Gaius's assistant, their paths might cross but only professionally and in Gaius's presence.

There was no use talking to Gaius about the prince as he realised that Gaius had a soft spot in his heart for him. He would not elaborate but had told Merlin that growing up in the castle had not been easy for the lad. He inferred that his father had only taken interest in him from the age of fourteen when he became a squire and then the pressures placed on him had been plentiful and yet he had survived.

Gaius had confided that many others would have broken but surprisingly Arthur had survived. "He might seem strong-headed but he has had to compete with all the knights and other hangers-on. He could easily have been lost in the shuffle. He had to learn to stand up to his father and it was that which, I can't really say endeared, rather forced the king to recognise him as his son and heir.

Merlin noticed over the months that the prince took all parental criticism in good grace even though he felt that sometimes the king was being overly hardhanded to show that his son was in no way ready to take over the reigns. If he ever would be, determined largely on how mentally strong he was and how much support he could expect from the knights.

Merlin liked some of the knights, they were amusing and he had to acknowledge that when the prince was in their company, he seemed less uptight and almost human. He often had to stand by to give aid during training sessions and it dismayed him to see the king pair his son against the most seasoned knights who were soundly rebuked if they went easy on their younger opponent.

Uther would say, "How is he going to learn if you don't at least attempt to take his block off!"

One day after a long gruelling training session, the king asked three knights to remain behind to challenge his son. The senior squires with whom the prince had been duelling were also ordered to remain. Merlin recognised the chosen knights as three of the king's elite swordsman. He glanced at Gaius who said nothing yet Merlin could tell be the look on his face that he wasn't expecting any of this to be pretty.

Sir Rupert whispered something to the king who shook his head saying, "In a battle, no one gets a chance to rest."

Sir Rodick faced off first and fought fairly but even Merlin could see that he was holding back.

The prince was wobbly by the time he'd finished the challenge. Sir Romney went next and the king cut the session short by yelling, "Sir Knight, I said challenge not mollycoddle him." The king waved to someone on the outside of the group and silence fell, the knights parted and a hulk of a man stepped forward.

Merlin glanced at the prince and clearly recognised the fear in his eyes. He turned to Gaius and said quietly, "Gaius, can't you stop him?"

Gaius shook his head, "The king won't let Sir Runolf kill him." Merlin looked at the newcomer and could see the gleam of anticipation in the knight's eyes before his squire handed him his helmet. This man had no allegiance to the crown prince if his master the king wanted him trounced he'd do so willingly. He took his sword and ran his gauntleted hand along the blade before giving it a few test swings.

Merlin looked back at the prince. He was impressed as he was still on his feet facing the man and if he were scared out of his wits it was not apparent by his posture. He wiped his brow and turned to the squire who handed him his helmet and then his sword. Merlin noticed that his fellow squire made eye contact with him and said something and the prince nodded his head.

Sir Runolf didn't waste any time and after three parries, he had the prince on his back in the dirt with his sword pointing at this prince's neck. He glanced at the king who nodded and threw him a bag of coins which he deftly caught.

There was not a sound from the knights and squires in attendance.

The king was heard to say, "Lasted longer that I expected!" There was however nothing said to the prince who was still on the ground as the king and his entourage walked away.

Sir Romney reached the prince first but waited until Gaius appeared at his side before attempting to remover his helmet. Gaius beckoned for Merlin who stepped forward with the physician's bag and got a closer look at the prince.

He was still breathing which was a wonder and Gaius gave Romney the go ahead to remove the helmet. The blond hair was dark with sweat. A squire was summoned to take the helmet and the sword and the prince began to stir.

Gaius suggested, "Arthur, we'll take you back on a litter!"

This evoked a shake of the head and a mumbled, "…walk!"

"That's not necessary, Arthur, you're exhausted and I doubt that your legs will carry your weight," Sir Romney insisted.

The prince who was gaining strength said, "I'll stay here until I can walk, but I _will_ walk back to the castle."

No one argued with him, they managed to get him seated on a camp stool and waited as his squire removed his heavy chain mail. He drank some water and declared that he was ready. Sirs Rodick and Romney stood on either side of him with his arms across their shoulders. Gaius led the way and Merlin walked immediately behind him with his bag. He was impressed. He could see that the prince had the makings of a leader. Following him came the remaining squires, Merlin glanced back and saw some of them looking quite worried and whether it was because they were putting themselves in the prince's position or just wondering how far the king would have gone, Merlin didn't know.

As they crossed the courtyard, Gaius noticed movement at the king's window and glanced up. Uther nodded at him, he was impressed to see his son on his feet even if most of his weight was taken up by the two knights.

Gaius suggested that Arthur was taken to his bedchamber as he intended to give him a thorough going over and to monitor him overnight. He could not condone what the king had done but he understood that times were hard and the kingdom depended upon the prowess of its knights and indirectly its upcoming knights.

-0-0-

Arthur's manservant helped him undress and lie on the bed so that Gaius could check him over. Merlin noticed that Arthur seemed to have no control over his legs which twitched and moved at will. Looking at him, Merlin could hardy recognise the young man who had started his first training exercise with such strength and determination. He lay motionless with his eyes closed.

Gaius examined him carefully taking note of any bruising which was beginning to appear. He prepared a draught with a light pain killer. He asked Martin the prince's manservant to fetch warm water and clothes and slowly wiped Arthur's face and neck motioning for Merlin to do the same.

Merlin was surprised that his hands were shaking slightly as he carried out the order. He could see the mottled bruising and was loathe to cause the prince any further pain but Arthur seemed dead to the world and didn't complain.

Gaius then asked him to start at his feet and do the same gentle bathing, "He'll be in pain tomorrow as his muscles complain as he tries to use them."

Merlin tried to concentrate on what he was doing but Arthur's twitching legs made it more difficult and Gaius finally told him to just work on the thigh muscles explaining that it was an involuntary movement over which he had little control but after getting a foot in the chest, Merlin wondered if maybe the prince was more conscious of what was going on than Gaius surmised.

Soon, Gaius was satisfied that nothing else could be done, he had the prince moved on his side and the wet bedsheets were bundled up, removed and he was laid back on dry ones and covered with a light blanket. The prince seemed more conscious of his surroundings and the tremors in his legs seemed to lessen.

Gaius told the manservant to get his supper and sent Merlin also to get something for the two of them as he intended to stay with Arthur until he was talking. He also told him to advise the kitchen that a light gruel should be prepared for the prince and sent up once it was ready.

As the two of them left, they met Humphrey the Chamberlain on his way to see Gaius.

Humphrey disapproved of the king's actions but would only ever say so to Gaius. He agreed that someone should stay with the crown prince overnight but suggested that one of the other menservants could take over.

Gaius said, "Humphrey, I have spent hours with him when he was sick as a child, another late night won't kill me! If needs be, Merlin can take over, he's capable and trustworthy. It's just as a precaution. I feel sure that there is nothing which a good night's sleep can't heal but tomorrow he'll be stiff and black and blue to boot."

Merlin set out the meal he had brought back on a little table in front of the fire and he and Gaius ate. They talked in quiet voices but never criticised the king's actions in case Arthur was listening.

There was a tapping at the door to the prince's chamber and Merlin opened it to Martin carrying a covered iron pot of gruel which he placed on the hearth to keep the contents warm.

Gaius checked and Arthur was resting quietly. His face was more relaxed and his leg muscles less active. Gaius looked at the young man in the bed and wondered how a father could indirectly inflict such pain on a son but then he realised he wasn't a father or a king and maybe that was the way in which a man born to be king was raised. He didn't approve of it in the slightest.

He realised that Merlin was at his elbow and he quietly said, "Life's hard even when you are a crown prince…" He checked Arthur's forehead and it was cool and his hands were warm. He tucked them back under the blankets and asked Merlin to replace the warmed bricks which he had wrapped and previously slipped under the sheets near the end of the bed.

They returned to sit near the fire, it was getting cold at night and although the castle was pleasant during the heat of the summer, it could be cold, draughty and damp during autumn and downright freezing during a cold winter. It was raining outside and the rain was pelting against the windows. The manservant pulled the heavy curtains over the window and would later draw the curtain over the door leading into the antechamber.

Merlin loved the sound of the rain on the windows when he was snug in bed as he did the rumbling thunder as it made its way down the valley. He decided that the prince was not conscious of rain tonight.

Martin joined them near the fire and said to Gaius, "Will the prince be confined to bed tomorrow?"

"I doubt that I will be able to force him to stay there but hopefully he will not try to attend any training sessions. Ideally, if he feels up to it, he could walk around the castle just to stretch his muscles. I will leave him some medicine to alleviate the pain. He'll be tender for a while. Why don't you turn in? Merlin and I will stay here and if we have need of you, Merlin will get you. You'll be kept busy tomorrow so you might as well rest while you can."

The prince's manservant had a room off the antechamber so that he would be available whenever needed. During an emergency, anyone wishing to talk to the prince once he had retired for the night, could but only once Martin had notified the prince of the visitor's request. The prince decided if he wanted to be disturbed or if the situation could wait until the following morning. Martin over the years had become quite adept at sorting out situations that called for him to disturb the prince and they usually depended upon the rank of the visitor and the seriousness of the situation

Soon Gaius could be heard snoring quietly although Merlin knew that should anything happen to his patient, he would snap out of it immediately. He glanced over at the prince and he was still asleep. His mind went back to his home and he reckoned that the amount of wood they had burned so far this night would have lasted his mother and him for a week in Ealdor.

He was conscious of movement out of the corner of his eye and he glanced back at the prince's bed. He smiled to himself with the curtains drawn around it, it would have been a great hiding place. He stood up and wandered over and he could see that the prince was more restless than previously. He could see that he was fractious, possibly having a bad dream. His arms were no longer covered by the blankets and his brow was creased with worries. He kept moving his head and Merlin worrying that a fever might be present stepped forward to check his brow.

He'd often see Gaius stretch over and touch a patient whispering quietly to him that he would be all right. He gingerly placed the back of his hand on Arthur's brow, it wasn't burning so as he had surmised, he was having nightmare.

The prince's movements became more erratic and he began murmuring. "Gaius'll know what to do…" his breath caught and he sobbed, "…Gaius, my legs won't work."

Even though he realised that the prince was not fully conscious, Merlin turned to get Gaius as he felt was right, however an arm snaked out and caught his wrist imprisoning him. He stayed perfectly still as his mind told him, that now was not the time to try to pull back. If the prince thought he was one of the knights he might swing at him and hurt him.

Learning slightly forward he could pick up what the prince was murmuring, "I didn't want to die not like that in a training session. When I die I want it to be at the height of a well fought battle." This was followed by disjointed phases and to Merlin unrecognisable names.

He whispered quietly, "You're safe in bed in your own chamber. You're going to be all right."

Whether Arthur heard him or not had no affect as he continued, "I really tried hard but soon my arms couldn't bear the weight of the sword any longer. Father doesn't realise that I'm not that strong…yet!"

Arthur tried to turn over and practically pulled Merlin off his feet. By bracing his knees against the mattress and hanging on to the one of the bedposts he was able to remain upright.

That stopped Arthur mid turn and he said more clearly, "The knights and the squires must have been laughing at how weak I turned out to be."

Merlin whispered, "They weren't, after the king left I heard them say how strong you had appeared. No one was laughing especially not the squires. I thought at one point that a few of them were going to jump the knight who got you down but I noticed the Squire Master shaking his head at them and they settled." He was conscious of the pressure being released from his wrist which he felt would have an ugly bruise on it tomorrow.

Suddenly, the prince looked directly at him and said, "Who are you and what are you doing in my bedchamber in the middle of the night?"

Merlin glanced over his shoulder and could see that Gaius was still next to the fire but no longer dozing, so he said, "I'm Merlin. I'm studying to be a physician's assistant and I am working here in Camelot with Gaius."

"Have I ever see you before?"

"Probably not," Merlin said with a smile, "as we don't mix in the same circles. Do you want me to ask Gaius to come over?"

Arthur raised himself on his elbow to see Gaius and cringed, "Ow! That hurt."

"Lie down, here take my hand and you can pull against it to get onto you back again. Now that you are awake, are you hungry? There is some gruel by the fire as you missed supper."

"No, I still feel a little fuzzy headed but that is probably what Gaius gave me against the pain." He yawned, "Are you going to stay here all night?"

"Yes, if you feel I should."

"I do, as I'm worried that once the fire dies down and the room goes black, Sir Runolf will come back to finish off the job."

"He won't! He's probably well out of it by now as the king gave him a purse so he probably spent the evening and night drinking with his cronies in the tavern." Merlin immediately regretting saying that as the prince didn't need to know what a low life his father was.

"Thought as much…he wants me…to …" but his eyes had closed and once again he fell asleep.

Merlin pulled the blanket up over the prince's shoulders and looked down at him realising that even with all the wealth and riches involved with being a prince, he had a hard life.

.He knew that he was better off, he might be as poor as a church mouse, but he had a mother who loved him, a roof over his head, a bed, food on the table and most importantly someone who was willing to take him under his arm and train him to be a useful member of society.

He returned to the hearth and luxuriated in the warmth of the fire and the comfortable chair.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2 : SHADOWING**

Merlin returned to sitting next to the fire as the prince slept. The room was warm and the firelight comforting. He intended to stay awake but he was soon dozing and miles away. He was conscious of Gaius checking the prince again before settling back by the fire. The wind was still blowing outside and Merlin could imagine how cold the corridors would be when they finally made their way back to Gaius's chambers.

There was nothing romantic about making one's way through a castle in the winter. Many of the outer corridors were little more than porticos, roofed but with an open balustraded side, affording little protection from the wind and the rain.

The inner corridors were better but even so some were open ended and the wind could really whip up. Not everywhere in the castle was as warm as the floors which housed the royal chambers. If he had a manservant, he would have sent him down to Gaius's to light the fire and warm up their place, maybe even arrange for some porridge to be over the fire and some mulled cider. He smiled to himself as he knew that his mother would have suggested that would have been a nice gesture as he should run down ahead of Gaius and make sure that the place was warm.

He was happier before the fire in the prince's bedchamber. Finally, he heard a quiet knocking at the door and Gaius nodded for him to open it. It was the prince's manservant who told him quietly that due to the inclement weather there would be no training for knights or squires today. He also wanted to know if the prince would be having breakfast.

Merlin asked if the manservant had eaten yet and he said, "No!"

"Well, you go and grab something to eat yourself and then bring the prince's breakfast, it should be something light. By then Gaius will have decided what his recommendation for the prince is for the day."

Th manservant was impressed as the young man before him seemed very capable and pleasant to deal with.

Arthur stirred and came to before his breakfast arrived, Gaius insisted that he get out of bed as he wanted Arthur to be up and around as proof to the king that he was resilient and not easily put off by one training defeat.

Merlin was impressed with the amount of bruising which Arthur had suffered. There were many bruises, a couple quite vivid as well as scraped skin on his sides and a nasty bruise under his armpit. Merlin was shocked if this was what happened in a training session no wonder the injuries seen in real attacks were so horrendous.

Gaius said that he was pleased with what he saw but that there would be no exercising today as the muscles needed to be given a chance to heal. He did not mention to Arthur that he had heard that all training was cancelled because of the weather. He looked at the young man before him and wondered what part of a father's mind would enjoy humiliating and hurting his son to this extent. He also wanted to learn a little more about Sir Ronulf who had carried out the punishment with obvious pleasure.

He told Merlin to draw a bath for the prince as he felt that a good soak might be beneficial.

Merlin asked under his breath, "How do I draw a bath? Surely the menservants will carry in a bath and water to fill it."

Gaius smiled, "Welcome to the luxurious life of a member of royalty!" He took Merlin through a door into a small chamber equipped with not only a large wooden tub but also a collection of round boilers attached to numerous pipes. "Water comes in here, it fills the copper under which a fire has been lit and warms the water. When it is hot that tap releases it into the tub and Martin regulates the heat by added cold water from that tap over there."

Astonished, Merlin turned to Gaius and said with a grin, "Well, I never! Does the king also have one of these machines?"

"I believe he does!"

"Do they also have baths during the winter?" Gaius nodded and Merlin said, "That seems a lot of trouble for having a bath. At home we only had a bath in the spring and as kids when the weather was hot we used to swim in the river. We'd have frozen ourselves bathing in the winter even if we used a tub before the hearth."

"Well, living in Camelot is different and you will see that people bathe more often."

"And you?"

"When you reach my age, Merlin, it is quite luxurious to soak one's old bones and muscles in a tub of warm water. Even if it is only an old iron tub and I have to get the servants to haul it into my room for me. I can then manage to heat the water but sometimes one of the men gives me a hand as the deeper the water in the tub, the more water has to be carried in. Then…the whole thing needs to be emptied bucket by bucket and the tub carried away."

Merlin thought about it for a moment and said, "I think I'll stick with the lake and the river plan, as that does not entail carting water and emptying the tub."

Gaius smiled, "We'll continue this conversation after you have experienced your first hot bath. Now, get the fire lit under the copper and when the water is hot, Martin will get him ready to have a bath."

Giggling, Merlin said, "Can't he bathe himself? I would feel distinctly uncomfortable having someone wash me."

"From the time he was little he has had servants, he probably never thinks about it, as that is what servants are for. They look after their masters and in return have a good bed, good food, a wage and the added honour of being a royal manservant."

"Some honour, I'd be so embarrassed, that I'd have to do it with my eyes closed but on second thought, no, I just wouldn't do it. I could never be a royal manservant if that was part and parcel of the job."

He looked up at Gaius from where he was laying the fire wood and grinned. "I'm serious, Gaius, that's one job I would never take on."

"Yet, you help meal clean up bodies of injured soldiers."

"That's different, they are unable to do it themselves and unless we did it, they would not heal. There's a big difference! All right, the fire is ready to be lit."

"Feel the copper, is it cold or warm to the touch?"

"It is warmish but not hot."

"Good, that means that Martin had the fires going overnight. Start the fire now and it will take less time to heat the water." Merlin stood up to leave and Gaius put a hand on his arm. "Merlin, I have an important job for you to do today. I want you to stay near the prince. I intend to tell him, to exercise gently in the castle corridors. I have a feeling that his father will send word that he wants him to join him for lunch so I want you to be there."

"I won't know what to do during a royal lunch, Gaius!"

"It's easy, choose a wall close to the main door and stand against it during the meal. If the room is emptied by the king, just stand outside in the hallway and when Arthur comes out, tag along behind him wherever he goes."

"Even to the latrines?"

"Now you're being silly, take your cue from whichever servants are around. I will tell Arthur I am leaving you as my assistant. If he needs to return to his chamber you will do the same and stand in the antechamber in case your help is requested. If you are invited into the bedchamber stand against the wall inside the door until you are told what is expected of you.

"If you notice that Arthur is in obvious pain, I will leave some medicine for him but he has a habit of scoffing the whole lot so make sure he only takes one dose at a time."

The two of them walked back into the bedchamber and Merlin was sarcastic as he quietly said to Gaius, "Sounds as if today might be extremely challenging…"

"Don't get yourself into trouble, that's all!" Gaius said as he made his way across the room to where the prince was standing at the window watching the rain as Martin was setting the table.

-0-0-

Gaius walked over to him and said, "Arthur, you must be hungry, as you haven't eaten since lunch yesterday. You should try to eat something as I want you to do some light walking exercise today. Just wander around the interior areas of the castle. I don't want you sitting in your room as I want those muscles working so they don't seize up and cause you more pain later on. Choose one of the knights to accompany you. I have patients to see so I will leave Merlin here with you and he can follow along wherever you go."

Gaius accompanied that last statement with a smile in Merlin's directions which was returned with a scowl.

"I don't need babysitters Gaius. I know my way around the castle, have done since I was seven and I don't need an inexperienced nursemaid trailing after me!"

Gaius felt Merlin bristle beside him and he reached around and put his hand on his arm. "No one said anything about a nursemaid. I just want someone to make sure that you don't overdo it!"

Arthur without glancing in Merlin's direction said, "…and you think he would be able to convince me to change my mind?"

"He might be able to appeal to your common sense and dissuade you from doing something hair-brained which you might later regret. We are now going to get something to eat and Merlin will be back here by the time you have had a hot bath."

Merlin breathed a sigh of relief hearing that he would not be involved in any bathing routine especially with someone whom if he had been in the bath at that moment, he might have quite happily held under water. Once they were in the corridor, he said, "Gaius, what is it that makes him so negative? I've only just met him and have never done or said anything to him to merit that."

"You've seen him when he was weak and dependant on people and he finds that hard. The statement that weakness is contrary to leadership has been drilled into his head since he was a youngster. His father is always quoting that glory is the result of strength. According to his teachings, people look up to and follow the strong and decisive while they scorn the weak."

"If or when he becomes king, he's going to have to decide that for himself…but do I still have to spend the day with him?" Merlin said as they reached Gaius's chamber.

To their surprise it was warm and there was a fire burning in the hearth. On the table there was freshly baked bread and some cheese and on the side of the hearth there was a pot of porridge and some stewed fruit. Gaius took the note and smiled. It was from Humphrey, 'One good turn deserves another!' he had written.

They were both hungry and enjoyed the meal. Gaius then settled to check his day's visits and Merlin cleared off the table and changed into a clean top and kerchief for his day of shadowing a disgruntled prince. Maybe the knight he had chosen to accompany them would at least be pleasant.

Gaius handed him two vials of obnoxious looking olive green muddy liquid. He'd need his wits about him to get the prince to take the doses when there were prescribed. "See that he only take one dose at a time." Gaius had reminded him.

"Why? What might happen is he takes the whole vial? Will it make him more amenable and better behaved?"

Gaius smiled and said, "Nothing like that it would probably make him quite sleepy and you would find yourself watching over a sleeping patient."

Merlin decided that was not going to happen as at least wandering the castle was preferable to sitting by the fire playing nursemaid.

"Enjoy yourself, Merlin! "Gaius called after him as he left. He laughed as Merlin flipped him the bird. Gaius smiled to himself, 'Aristophanes, 423BC Greece!'

He had omitted telling Merlin that Humphrey had also mentioned in his note that the king wanted to see Arthur mid-afternoon. He'd be interested hearing Merlin's view on how that went off.

-0-0-

Arthur when he saw Merlin told him that he didn't need a nursemaid. Merlin quickly replied that he was not there for Arthur's sake but for any fool whom he might decide to attack just because he felt like it. That made Arthur smile and he said, "I promise to make your time worthwhile…"

"First, I would like you to take a dose of this medication which Gaius concocted for you. It is to alleviate any discomfort you have in moving."

"Don't need it!" Arthur executing a poorly timed twirl which had him bumping into the bed and sitting down rather abruptly. "Ouch!" he said. Merlin glanced at Martin but neither of them laughed.

Merlin ignored the theatrics and said patiently, "This is to alleviate any discomfort you have in moving…or will experience if you are over zealous in your exercise. Gaius will be furious to find out later that you were in pain and I still had a full vial of the medication."

Arthur suitable subdued accepted the single dosage vial and swilled it down. Martin offered him a little water to speed its descent. "That tastes, bloody awful! Where in heaven's name does Gaius find these herbs?"

"From the byways and ditches around the castle."

"That I can believe, after all they were probably tromped on by peasants and pissed on by horses!" Arthur said as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"That is a possibility; however I assure you they are beneficial, even efficacious when taken according to Gaius's directions."

Arthur looked in shock, Merlin was no slouch with the spoken word and he said, "I'll give you efficacious, Merlin, the next time I'm in need of a training partner."

Merlin felt sufficiently comfortable to bow from the waist and say with a smile, "Bring it on, your highness!" He heard Arthur laugh but didn't look at him but could out of the corner of his eye see the manservant grinning.

"Does Gaius have you thoroughly wash them at least?

"Wash what?"

"The herbs!"

"Oh no, he seems to think that they are better directly as they are picked. We might take off any dead flies and the like but using water he feels would minimise their effectiveness."

Martin looked shocked, he knew what people did in ditches. Did Gaius really use unwashed greenery? Wait till he told his mother who swore by Gaius's potions.

But Arthur was harder to convince. "You, Merlin, are an excellent liar but you can't fool me. I bet Gaius has you thoroughly wash them in lye and hot water to make sure they are clean before pulping them into a juice."

Merlin had visions of Arthur refusing to take anything again from Gaius but he knew that the leaves were only rinsed and well shaken, any foreign bits and pieces usually floated and could be picked out before the liquid was used. Gaius also used fine muslin to sieve out the indistinguishable lumps.

He smiled at Arthur and said, "Of course, I was fooling, everything is just as it should be." He laughed to himself as Gaius often said that a man must eat a peck of dirt before he died and he didn't intend to deprive anyone of that luxury.

"I knew it," Arthur said with a satisfied nod of his head, "you can't fool me that easily, you know."

-0-0-

The knight who was to accompany Arthur turned out to be Sir Romney of Montfieth, a pleasant chap whom Merlin guessed to be in his mid twenties. He met them in the prince's chamber and told Arthur that he was at his disposal as requested by Gaius to accompany him on light exercise within the castle. Arthur obviously knew him and didn't give him a hassle about what they were going to do.

It was still windy outside and Merlin was pleased that they were going to stay on the main floor of the castle. Arthur told him that it would help him learn the plan of the castle which according to him was easy as even the young pages managed to figure it out when delivering messages to various chambers.

"You know they always go in pairs as there is safety in numbers but really if they get lost then the guards would be looking for two of them instead of one. I was once told that there are at least three missing pages wandering around the castle who haven't been seen in years. Anyway they all look alike to me so I wouldn't know whether or not I had ever seen one of the missing ones."

Merlin had visions of himself being lost in the maze of stairwells and corridors. Arthur not satisfied continued, "It is said that a certain times of the year, at Christmas for example, they can be heard tapping on chamber doors asking to be allowed in to join the festivities."

Sir Romney caught Merlin's eye and shook his head and Merlin smiled back. Not wanting to let Arthur get away with it, he said seriously, "Funny that you should have mentioned that as last night as Gaius and I sat before your fire, I was sure that there was someone behind the tapestry beside your bed, as I could hear plaintiff cries of 'Please find me!' Have you ever heard it?"

Arthur looked annoyed and said, "You know it isn't done to tease the crown prince."

Merlin looked him straight in the eye and said, "Who? Don't think I know him, do I?"

Sir Romney thought that trouble was going to erupt as Arthur didn't like being the brunt of a joke so he moved over to be able to step in in case Arthur should decide to take a swing at Merlin but he was surprised to see the prince's face soften as he began to laugh.

Romney decided then and there that maybe this young assistant of Gaius's, was a boy of hidden talents as Arthur rarely took to anyone so quickly.

They continued their walk and Arthur was having no trouble, his legs were sore but everything seemed to be in working order. They reached a corridor which ended in a solar. Merlin was mesmerised as one whole wall was windows and the fury of the storm was visible.

Arthur shivered and Merlin commented that maybe he should have worn something a little heavier. Romney removed his cloak and offered it to the prince who shook his head and said that he couldn't wear the red cloak of a knight as he was only a squire a senior one at that but still only permitted to wear a brown cloak.

Merlin offered to return to the chamber and get the brown cloak but Arthur laughed and said he wasn't that cold and that Merlin would get completely lost and then they'd have to send out a search party…"and if you were never found you could join the lost pages."

"…and haunt the castle and visit your chamber begging to be found." Merlin added with a faltering voice, " _Arturus, obsecro venite ad me invenient!"_

" _Exite, ego somnun!_ " Arthur responded almost immediately. They grinned at each other and Romney made a mental note to congratulate Brother Alphonsus Arthur's Latin tutor.

"You understood what I said?" Merlin asked.

"Well, it was rather basic wasn't it?"

"How come you know Latin?"

"Because I have a Latin tutor as letters of intent and rules and regulations are written in Latin so that other nations can also understand what we are proposing. Do you know what _coles_ means? Merlin blushed and nodded as Arthur continued, "Why do you know Latin?"

"Because, most of the plants' proper names are in Latin like the common daisy is called a _primula_ and the willow tree is a _salicis arbore._ Gaius uses the Latin names the whole time when he makes up potions, wild mint is _silvestre mentastrum_."

Their conversation was interrupted when they realised that a squire was coming along the corridor towards them. He bowed at Arthur then handed Sir Romney a message.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3 : A HELPING HAND**

When the order for Arthur to present himself to the king arrived via a squire, Sir Romney handed it to Arthur and then excused himself leaving Arthur and Merlin by themselves in the corridor near the library.

Merlin glanced at Arthur who seemed worried. He glanced around and there was no knight or even a page to ask directions. Arthur reached a stairwell and stood at the top staring into space.

Merlin realised that until then they had not attempted any stairs and he realised that if Arthur's legs were hurting, the idea of going down the stairs only to have to climb them to return to his chamber was not enticing.

He decided that as the assistant to the physician, he might make a suggestion which Arthur could either agree to or laugh off.

"Arthur, some people go down the stairs backwards when their legs are really sore or weak."

"For one thing, Merlin, I am not weak and I can withstand pain. As you might have noticed over our short acquaintance!" He extended one leg to lower it to the first step but as he then needed to bend his other knee, he hesitated and withdrew his extended leg and stood still after reaching out with his fingers to make contact with the wall.

Merlin had hoped that Arthur's legs would work fine and now he knew that he was probably embarrassed as he had failed to get down even one step.

Arthur took a deep breath and said, "I think I will try something I learnt recently." He did not make any eye contact with Merlin. He turned around and still touching the wall, moved his right foot onto the first step and the gingerly brought his other foot down to join it. He took a deep breath as he had been concentrating too hard to remember to breath.

Glancing down Merlin figured there were fifteen stairs then a flat landing followed by another set of stairs. Slowly, Arthur made it down two stairs then wobbled and grabbed for something, Merlin put out his hand and steadied Arthur's arm.

They continued down, Arthur still going backwards and hanging onto the rough stone wall and Merlin's arm. They reached the landing and Merlin told him to rest by leaning against the wall.

Arthur mumbled about needing to speed up as he wanted to meet his father before he decided he wasn't coming and left. He turned around to descend the second flight, when above them they heard a voice. Merlin looked up and saw Sir Romney with another knight.

Romney said, "Arthur, how did you get down so far? I got Rook to come and we can give you a lift down the stairs,

Arthur said, "Thanks! Didn't do too badly by myself did I?"

Merlin smiled to himself as it had been his suggestion and he had anchored Arthur each step down.

Romney glanced at him and nodded before saying, "Actually the two of you did pretty well, to get this far." The knights interlocked their wrists forming a seat and in no time, Arthur reached the bottom of the steps. "This goes no further than here. After your meeting, wait around and we'll see that you get back upstairs." They kept carrying him along the corridor.

Arthur was all for arguing but Merlin caught his eye and said, "It will be faster...!" This made Arthur grin, it was all right with him as long as no one else was around.

As they got closer to the throne room, they let him walk under his own power. Sir Romney checked that Arthur's clothes were straightened out and then Arthur was in front of the door and had taken a deep breath, he knocked and the door was opened by Sir Rupert.

Arthur thought, 'Well, at least one friendly face!'

Merlin stood aside as Sir Romney also walked in saying as he passed him, "Follow me in and stand to the left of the door against the wall. Don't leave unless you are specifically told to. The king will think you are a manservant..."

"Thanks for nothing!" Merlin said loud enough for only Sir Romney to hear.

-0-0-

Merlin had never been in the king's presence within the castle as usually Gaius went alone if called upon. He'd seen him outside or on his balcony however but he'd been more conscious of the behaviour of the people around him than the king. There had always seemed to be a lack of solidarity even an undercurrent of uncertainty when he rode or walked by. Maybe it was just awe for their ruler but Merlin didn't see it as such.

He did as he was told by Sir Romney and stood against the wall; however making sure that he had a good view of the king and the prince who was now bowing before his father. Merlin jumped when the big doors clanged shut as they were drawn closed by the guards who remained outside in the corridor. For a second, he was uncomfortable enough to consider fleeing but realised that was futile he was better to hide in plain sight so he froze.

Although there were three chairs on the dais, the king did not invite his son to sit. He remained standing at the bottom of the steps. 'Not very hospitable', Merlin decided. He couldn't make out what was being said as he only got parts of the conversation when the king raised his voice which he did on a number of occasions.

Arthur seemed to be taking it all in; nevertheless Merlin surmised that he might be in pain as he frequently shifted his weight from leg to leg. Merlin had no idea what time it was but he hazarded a guess that the king had not yet had lunch. He'd no sooner thought that than there was a loud knock on the door and the servant standing beside Merlin moved to answer it, admitting other servants who set the table and then disappeared.

Merlin counted two place settings. They were obviously for the king and his senior knight but he wondered if maybe there was not also a setting which he couldn't see for the prince.

As the food arrived, the king stood and waved off the prince and Merlin heard him say, "When you can act like a knight you will be invited to join me at table! You are dismissed."

Arthur bowed low and turned leaving the hall and Merlin followed as Sir Romney nodded at him. He would so much have liked to have called over his shoulder to the king, "You big bully!" but he didn't.

One of the older serving maids said kindly to Arthur as he passed, "Your Majesty, the cook sent food to your room so you won't go hungry."

Arthur smiled and said, "Thank you, Maude." He said nothing to Merlin so he just traipsed along after him.

Sir Romney told Arthur he should return to his room and have his lunch adding, "If you want to walk around again let me know and I will accompany you. Just send a page with a message."

Arthur thanked him for his help this morning and they parted company, Sir Romney off to join the knights and Arthur and Merlin to return to the crown prince's chambers.

When they got to the main stairs, Merlin could see a problem as there were two long flights. He said, "You legs must be tired, do you want to sit here and I'll go and find someone to get a message to Sir Romney so he can help us?"

"Don't be silly, I go up and down these stairs the whole time. It will just take a little longer today."

Merlin wasn't too sure but if the prince didn't want help, who was he to insist. So he said, "Lean on me. We'll take it slowly and you can set the pace." He noticed the prince checking over his shoulder so he added, "There is no one around and if anyone comes, I'll move away and it will just look as if we've stopped on a stair to talk."

Saying, "Thank you," Arthur took his arm, "I could manage by myself but this might be quicker."

Merlin knew that Arthur would have had trouble on the stairs as they had to stop frequently for little rests. "They feel like wool," Arthur confided to him.

"I still have some of Gaius's potions, you'll have that before lunch, then eat your meal and take a little rest on your bed. I'm sure your manservant will have lit the fire." Merlin suggested, "Maybe even a hot bath later on and a leg massage?"

"Are you always this bossy?" Arthur wanted to know.

"Yes!" Merlin said with a slight grin.

-0-0-

The fire was lit and the chamber was warm and Martin had put the meal on the hearth to keep it hot. He helped Arthur get undressed into a warm woollen dressing robe and light shoes. He got him to the chair before the fire propping his legs on a cushion he'd placed on a small stool and moved a table within his reach.

Merlin in the meantime had poured a dose of the potion for Arthur to take and waited for him to swallow it down. He told Martin to give him another dose at supper and if he was still uncomfortable the last dose before he turned in.

He then went to take leave Arthur who looked at him shocked and said, "But I expect you to stay here…" Turning to Martin, he said, "Thank you, you may go. I'll send for you when I need you." Martin bowed and left.

Merlin said, "I thought that I might go back to Gaius's to see if he needs me."

"He doesn't as why else would he had told me that you would be shadowing me today to see that I was all right? I'm not going to starve you, there is plenty of food for the two of us; however you will have to serve me as I don't intend to get out of this chair for some time."

Merlin put a bowl on the table and ladled the thick soup into it. He then uncovered the bread and put it in front of Arthur. He went back and checked the other pot, it looked like a grouse pie. He was impressed, the prince certainly ate well.

He returned to the table with half a bowl of soup for himself and Arthur laughed, "You can eat more that that, fill it up as you did mine!" Merlin did as he was told and sat again before the fire.

"So, tell me about yourself. You are not Camelot born are you?"

Merlin explained his beginnings in Ealdor and how his mother knew Gaius and he had offered to train him as a physician's assistant if he had the brains.

"And did you?" the prince wanted to know.

"I guess so as I have been here three months and I haven't made any awful mistakes yet. Mind you, my first job was cleaning out the leech tank which wasn't too pleasant but now we are on great terms and they come to the edge of the tank when I feed them fresh liver sent specially for them from the village butcher. Leeches are very important in a physician's treatment. I also do a lot of collecting and preparing of herbs for Gaius, clean various dishes used to prepare medications and wash and roll bandages."

"Uck!" Arthur said.

"Exactly!" said Merlin as he brought the Fowlers' Pie to the table. He served the prince a large portion along with some accompanying vegetables. The aroma was excellent and it had retained its heat. He wondered what the prince's manservant Martin would be having for his lunch nothing as great as this he was sure.

"When did you learn to read?" Arthur wanted to know.

"Well, my mother taught me. We didn't have any books but she used sand on the dirt floor and I copied all my letters and learned the sounds. One day a pedlar came to the village and as my mother had no money to buy anything, she cooked him a meal and in return he gave her some old scrolls. Told her they were of no use to him as he couldn't read. He'd picked them up in a lot that he'd received from a poor widow, some of her late husband's stuff.

"Our luck to be sure, as not only were there words but also sums and I think I learned by heart every sentence and could do every sum as well. Slowly, I became a reader, I would read all the notices which were posted on the big oak tree in our village and just as at one time the village leaders used to turn to my Mam, I mean my Mother, to read things for them, I took over the job and never charged them anything either, as they let me keep the notices so I could reread them and trace the letters.

"Was there no school in the village?"

"No, most of the children were needed to help with the family and their fields and animals. We didn't have any animals except hens and rabbits as my mother was a healer and she got payment to help the sick and bring new babies into the world. When there was no money available, the people used to pay her in food.

"But, didn't your father work?"

Merlin shrugged, "I never remember having a father, it's always been just me and my mother. She was all I really needed growing up as she took great care of me and now…" he threw open his arms, "here I am!"

Arthur couldn't help laughing, he'd never met anyone from outside the knights and their families and he liked being able to talk to someone who had a different upbringing. It was nice having someone to talk to while he had his lunch. He felt quite at home sitting in front of the fire with this young man who happily answered his questions. He might never have gone to school but he was intelligent and a pleasure to be with.

It was a funny feeling as usually even with the sons of the knights and the other squires, he never felt completely at ease but this Merlin chap was different. He wasn't comparing him to his father and the position he would one day assume. He didn't seem to be planning to hang onto all the information he had garnered about Arthur to use it later one. He decided that he would as long as Merlin stayed with Gaius, make a point of having chats with him when time allowed.

"Maybe one day you could take me out in the woods when you collect plants," Arthur said. "It would have to be when my father wasn't around as he would consider that a waste of time."

Merlin wondered how many plants they would actually collect as he was sure that the prince would get sidetracked but he agreed making Arthur promise that it wouldn't be a rainy day as he really didn't like getting wet.

They sat in silence and then Merlin noticed that Arthur was dozing. He got up and pulled back the covers on the bed and came over and tapped him gently on the shoulder and said, "I think you would be more comfortable on the bed, don't you?"

Arthur nodded and murmured, "Yes…"

Merlin helped him up, slipping off his heavy dressing robe, sat him on the side of the bed, kneeling to remove his slippers. Arthur then lay down and Merlin moved his legs under the heavy blankets pulling them up over the prince's shoulders and told him to rest.

"You won't go off and leave me, will you?"

"No, I should think that in a while Gaius will be coming by to see how you are. Try to have a little sleep it will do you good. You were on your feet for a long time. Are your legs still hurting?"

Arthur shook his head before saying, "…and Merlin don't let the fire go out!"

"I promise I won't," Merlin said as he returned to the chair in front of the fire deciding that he might have a catnap as well.

-0-0-

This was how Gaius found them when he arrived two hours later. Merlin stirred as soon as the door opened and Gaius had laughingly accused him of sleeping on the job. "How was the prince?" he had wanted to know.

Merlin brought him up to date on everything which had happened including the stair episodes and how the king had kept him standing for the whole session and how he had administered more of Gaius's medicine and that they had both had a lovely lunch.

"Well, I think when he wakes up, I'll check on him. Why don't you go back downstairs and work on the herbs that are on the table."

Merlin knew that he would have much preferred to have remained where he was but after adding some more wood to the fire, he cleared the remnants of their meal from the small table and grabbing his jacket made his way into the antechamber. The door into the manservant's room was open and as he passed he saw a bed, blankets and a cupboard not unlike the little room he had at Gaius's except that his also had a window overlooking the lower town.

He opened the in main door and let himself into the corridor and made his way downstairs nodding at the guards at the top of the stairs. The king must be back in his private rooms as they were only stationed there when he was in his royal chambers. One guard had stepped forward as if to challenge his being there but the other had said that he was the court physician's apprentice and had permission to be in the castle even on the royal floor.

After having spent so much time in the prince's warm chamber, the corridors were cold. Merlin thought, 'I hope when he next ventures out that he remembers his cloak.' Then he smiled to himself, the prince was no longer his concern as ahead of him loomed a cold room and probably a list of work which Gaius wanted done.

He let himself into the room and was glad to see that Gaius had a fire going, a rather meagre one but at least the chill was off the room. He added some more logs and threw a woollen shawl around his shoulders and set to work on the mountain of herbs which were on the table. Before long he he decided to sort and pluck leaves on a bench in front of the fire as he was cold.

The size of the fire was limited to the amount of wood they had. There was no charge for it but it had to be carried and since he had arrived Merlin had taken over the task. He enjoyed working with Gaius but he had to admit that the change of pace and location in working for the prince for the last forty-eight hours had been interesting.

Looking back he realized that as Gaius had said, 'Once you got used to him the prince was all right.' He smiled as he decided that that might be so when Arthur was under the weather but he still felt that if he had been his regular healthy self he would have been an obnoxious so and so.

He laughed out loud and continued striping rosemary leaves from a stalk.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4 : THE BETROTHED PRINCE**

Merlin didn't see Arthur to speak to for another month. He saw him in the distance surrounded by the other squires but they never made eye contact. He was just happy to see that the prince looked healthy and had not sustained any permanent injuries from the trouncing which his father had ordered.

Slowly Gaius was allowing him to do more of his deliveries. Not only had he to deliver the vials of medicine and ointments but also make sure that the patients knew what the dosage was. He was then expected to report back to Gaius how each patient seemed and if they had understood and were following the directions.

The herb collecting was working well. He had a quick eye and a good memory and was able to pinpoint the exact location of Gaius's most commonly used varieties.

Royal visitors to the kingdom were always welcomed and feted and in his capacity as court physician, Gaius's presence was usually requested. As he had no manservant, Gaius decided that a welcoming feast for King Algarf would be an excellent occasion for Merlin to observe how the royals dined. He took Merlin as his manservant. His duty was to stand behind Gaius's chair and keep his wine goblet filled and generally watch what was going on, making sure that his master's plate was filled with the foods he preferred.

Following the king's welcoming speech from the main table, the specialty dishes which would be presented to the visitors were paraded around the dining hall for all to see.

Merlin was awestruck not only with the amount of food but also with the selection. Some things he recognised such as saddles of pork and fish but some of the displays of built up platters of fowl decorated with feathers and greenery he had never imagined.

Gaius looked at the head table and saw Arthur glancing in their direction. He turned to look at Merlin who was standing open mouthed oblivious to anything but the parade of delicacies. Arthur nodded at him and Gaius acknowledged him with a smile and a nod of his head.

Once the high table had been served copious amounts of food, the servants made their way to the knights and then less important members of the court. The food was offered in accordance to the recipients position in court. Gaius as court physician was one who would benefit from the special foods prepared in advance by the Camelot kitchens.

Gaius was crafty as he had with him small linen bags and he kept slipping some of the more exciting tidbits into them as he intended that Merlin should get a chance to taste some of these once they got back to their chambers. His pockets were deep and he also had his bag over his shoulder so there was plenty of space to hide the little linen bags.

Everyone stayed at table until the king rose and left, all those seated at the high table leaving with him including Arthur whom Merlin had just noticed. As he passed Gaius on his way out he gave him a grin but only nodded at Merlin who was surprised to receive any recognition at all. Merlin noticed that some of the young servants looked dead on their feet which he attributed to their being up at the crack of dawn or earlier to man the kitchen fires and the roasting spits as well as being at the beck and call of the more senior kitchen staff in the days previous when much of the preparations would have taken place.

Merlin loved his visits to the kitchen, it was warm, well lit and exciting. You'd be as likely to be shoved out of the way by a servant carrying ingredients as being slipped a little treat by one of the cooks. If Gaius chose not to cook for himself and Merlin, he would send Merlin down to the kitchen to get meals for them. They were nutritional and plentiful but noting compared to what he had witnessed at the welcoming feast. Merlin tried to commit everything to memory so that he would be able to tell his mother when he returned to Ealdor.

Most of the Knights remained at their tables and for them the party really began once the king and his guests had retired as the wine flowed freely and the level of noise rose appreciatively.

Gaius did not stay too long after the king. He said, "Merlin, you must be hungry. Let's go back to our place and see what we can find in the cupboard for you to eat."

Merlin came crashing down to earth. A bowl of watery vegetable soup, a leg of dried out chicken, and bread did not compare with what he had seen served tonight.

Halfway along the corridor, Gais said as he handed him his bag, "Carry this for me, will you?"

Merlin glanced at it remembering seeing it on Gauis's shoulder as they went to the feast but was surprised that it had such weight to it. He slung it across his chest and followed Gaius up the stairs.

Their room seemed dark and uninviting compared to the dining hall they had just left. He placed Gaius's satchel on the table and went to light the lamp and add more logs to the dying fire. When he turned around, Gaius had opened his bag and set all the goodies he'd saved on the table.

Merlin's mouth started to water. How had Gaius managed such a surprise!

Gaius got him a mug of cider, "Sorry, no wine...we're out!" he said with a grin. He motioned for Merlin to be seated. He then explained each delicacy as Merlin ate, from the slice of pigeon stuffed goose to the morsels of fungus not unlike mushrooms and the fish baked in a pastry cover.

"So, do you think that you would be interested in eating at the high table one day?"

"No! The food's too rich, I'm not used to such meals. I'd prefer them infrequently as a treat! Does the king eat like that every day even when he is on his own?"

"No, he has good quality food and plenty of it but nothing that rich. He does have meat at nearly every meal and doesn't stint on the amount of wine consumed. There would also be something sweet to finish the meal."

"How about Arthur?"

"He eats more sparingly. He exercises daily and doesn't drink. Mind you when he's older...who knows. Some of the knights are heavy drinkers but as long as they are sober enough to ride and fight, the king seems to excuse them."

Merlin finished the last morsel of sweetmeats, a plum crystallised in honey, Gaius joined him as he had saved two plums.

"It must be hard for the servants to serve such wonderful food and be hungry at the same time."

Gaius smiled, "Most of the servants would have eaten their meal before the feast began and any food considered unworthy of reaching the dining hall would have been consumed by the staff. Also anything left over would be served to the retired knights and in the squires' dining room tomorrow, nothing will be wasted. 'Waste not in the days of plenty and eat frugally in the days of want' is a sensible yet sobering thought. The scraps would finally make their way to the pigs which in the coming year will grace the royal tables at a feast like this."

"Little do they know!" Merlin said laughing, "I really liked the goose and pigeon dish."

Gaius smiled, "Many years ago maybe at least ten, there was a visit of great importance from the delegates of another kingdom which our King Uther wanted to impress. The feast was smaller with just the foreign monarch, his delegates, and a group of hand picked Camelot court officials and a few senior knights. I had the honour of attending and saw dishes I have never seen since."

"What was the occasion?"

"It was the betrothal of Arthur to a princess."

"Arthur's going to marry a princess?" Merlin said surprised.

"Well, he would have when the young lady was of age but at the time he was only six and she was a mere three years old."

"But they might not have liked each other when they grew up, then what would have happened?"

"The contract had been drawn up and signed by the parents and she would have come to live at Camelot and have been married to Arthur as both her parents and Arthur's father wished. Merlin, it is quite common for families to join together to safeguard their kingdoms."

"So, when is the wedding?"

"There won't be a wedding as the young princess died as a ten year old and she had no sisters who could have taken her place."

"Sounds rather cold-hearted to me. If I ever get married, I first want to fall in love to the point where I feel that I cannot live without the other person and they would have to feel the same way."

"Getting hitched soon, My Boy?"

Merlin started to laugh, "No, I have a few things to accomplish in my life first; however don't worry, you'll be invited if I ever do!"

They moved to sit before the fire. It was warm and both of them felt well fed. Gaius continued with his story. "Everyone in Camelot celebrated the upcoming betrothal. The king even arranged for the lower town families to receive chickens so everyone could celebrate.

"Within the bailey, three oxen were roasted, many in the castle enjoyed a holiday and the only people left working were the kitchen staff and the additional staff sent there to enable them to do their jobs. The royal menservants and the maidservants for the guests were in high demand. The visiting king and queen brought many staff with them and Chamberlain Lord Richard had his hands full. We only saw the little princess when she and Arthur stood side by side in front of the royal dais as the decree was read.

"Brother Daniel who is a fine artist drew sketches of the event and even of some of the dishes presented to their royal majesties. The one that most impressed me was a fowl dish. If I remember correctly it was comprised of water fowl, not unlike the goose and the pigeon dish from tonight but it also included a swan which rose from the platter with its wings outspread. The royal trumpeters announced its arrival and I believe that it was the pièce de résistance of the evening. It was so lifelike that you almost expected it to beat it wings and fly away. The high table received the swan meat while the lesser guests like yours truly, feasted on the goose, duck, moor hens and coots which surrounded the bird.

"There were then other fowl platters with game birds such as grouse and pheasant but it's the spectacular swan which remains in my memory. It was a memorable evening, ending up with an assortment of sweet dishes. Wine flowed freely and I believe like many others that I didn't come around until noon the following day."

Merlin nodded and then asked, "What was the princess's name?"

"She was called Princess Caelian, the daughter of King Untard and Queen Enid. The court of Camelot was saddened to learn of her death."

"How about Arthur?"

"Well, he was present when his father made the announcement and accepted the condolences of the members of the court. Uther had insisted that he wore black and he handled it exceptionally well playing the part of a bereaved partner but within the hour he was more interested in the gyrfalcon his father had given him. He was thirteen by then and marriage was not high on his list of interests."

"Will the king find another wife for him?"

"Possibly but not for a marriage until after he has been knighted. He has his hands full with his studies of the Code of Honour and his training with weapons and horsemanship. Uther is still a young man and God willing, in no need of an heir for many years to come."

Merlin was saying, King Arthur over in his mind and he realised it has a nice ring to it, King Arthur of Camelot! It sent chills up his spine, what a future to look forward to, being the King of a wealthy and peaceful kingdom of Camelot.

"So, would it have interested you," Gaius said interrupting his revery, "to become a royal to partake of such rich food and flavours more regularly?"

"It would be fun but I think the lifestyle would not be to my liking. I prefer more freedom even if it means not dining high on the hog!"

Gaius laughed, Merlin certainly had both feet on the ground. He smiled to himself, Hunith had done a good job of raising her son.

-0-0-

Lying in bed later that night, Merlin thought of Arthur's betrothal and promises made on behalf of minors to marry once they are of age. It seemed strange to him, in his village couples fell in love and married maybe with parental approval or even without but he had never known anyone whose future was set out by the parents when they were children so that the family might benefit.

Certainly, suitable attachments might have been suggested around the fire at night but the final decisions was up to the couple. He thought, 'Their land adjoins ours, just think how nice it would be to have such a large holding…they have the best sheep in the county, we have the better pasture, just think how well the stock would do…her mother is my best friend and we always hoped that the two of you would fall in love and get married…it will keep the family name going…your grandmother would be so happy!' He laughed to himself, he could hear his Mam saying, 'But Dear, her father's a thatcher you would always have a waterproof roof over your heads…!'

He knew little about marriage but the thought of living in close quarters with someone you disliked would be rather difficult and certainly not to his liking!

He needed to check with Gaius as to what would happen if the prospective couple hated each other on sight when they met the second time. Did they dissolve the betrothal arrangement and spend a life of regret? Did they marry according to their parent's wishes and become bitter and unfaithful to their vows as years passed?

He fell asleep dreaming of betrothals and unbreakable promises and sadness for someone who was hurting emotionally and a feeling for himself of utter desolation.

 _He was unable to open his eyes or unblock his ears, he knew that life was passing him by and yet that he was one of the main characters in the scenario._

 _He was told that he was promised in marriage but he had never laid eyes on the person. He was left trying to imagine who was his future partner. Would it be hate at first sight? Would they learn to suffer each other_ _'_ _s company? Or maybe they would get on together and respect each other even if love was missing._

 _-0-0-_

The following morning when he mentioned his upsetting dreams, Gaius had laughed and blamed it on his over indulgence of unaccustomed rich food.

He never had the time to ask the questions he wanted as Gaius was called out to attend to one of the elderly knights and left Merlin to clean up the pots, basins and vials used in preparing various mixtures before his next duty which was to deliver the list of medications for people in the lower town.

When Merlin returned Gaius had the sad news that Sir Bartholomew had not survived and as there were no surviving family members, he had remained for the laying out of the body by the women. Sir Bart had never been married and his funeral would be a small one attended by his elderly friends if they were in good enough health and a smattering of the current knights who were not on duty at the time.

Gaius was quiet over supper as he thought about all the retired knights he had treated who were no longer with them. Not often did they live longer than forty years, knighthood was no guarantee that you survived.

He suddenly snapped out of it saying, "You know, you spend your youth waiting to grow up and your middle age trying to stay alive."

Merlin added, "…and hopefully the whole exercise is one of satisfaction with few regrets."

"There will always be regret," Gaius murmured, "even forty years is plenty of time to make bad judgements and let places go unvisited and people escape your grasp. Mark my words, Merlin, when you find that someone special, stand by them. There is no guarantee that when you return years later that they will still be waiting. Take the time and when the opportunity offers itself, declare your feelings and hopefully they will be returned one hundred fold. Don't choose a solitary life as it can be very lonely…just like the birds of the trees and the deer of the forest man was supposed to have a partner."

"But if I don't find anyone, then what happens?" Merlin asked.

"If you stay true to yourself, someone will arrive and sweep you off your feet!"

"Metaphorically, I hope!"

"Something in you will draw you to them and they to you and you will realise that you have found your soulmate."

Merlin laughed, "Gaius, the closest thing I have every been drawn to was our family cat. She was a wonderful mouser and quite happily shared my sleeping space when she wasn't working. After my Mam, she was the most difficult thing to leave behind in Ealdor."

Gaius smiled and shook his head, maybe Merlin was not yet ready to make such a big decision about choosing a life mate! However, he felt it in his bones that when the time came, Merlin's choice of partner would not be easily come by but he had faith that over the years, he'd be well loved and happy.

He was interrupted in his thoughts by Merlin saying, "Does she have golden or brown hair?"

"Who, your cat?"

"No, Gaius, my future beloved, you were miles away and I felt for sure that you were visualising her."

Gaius laughed saying, "If I could, I would tell her that you are a cheeky piece of baggage and that she should stay well clear of you!"

-0-0-

Merlin continued working on the herbs and Gaius sat by the fire dozing. There was a light tap on the door and Merlin answered it, it was a servant from the kitchen with a covered platter. He said, "Audrey the cook sent some treats for the two of you from last night's feast."

Merlin thanked him profusely and after he had left the chamber laughed. If Gaius was correct about the effect of rich food on your nighttime mental activities, this was to be another night of dreaming and hopefully, he would see the person whom Gaius felt was certainly going to so impress him that he'd willingly give them his heart and soul. He smiled, he'd like to be someone's special person.

He checked the platter, there was a variety of meats, some vegetables he recognised and in a smaller bowl some sweetbreads. He kept the bowl on the table and put the platter on the hearth to keep it warm.

He went to the cupboard under the window and checked that there was a bottle of cider, they'd make it their own party and enjoy themselves. He set the table wondering if Arthur was also having leftovers…


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5 : IF ONLY…**

Arthur was captive in the throne room listening to suggestions for the future involvement of the two nations. They had previously been discussed in detail by Uther's closest advisors and would eventually be presented to King Algarf's men. This meeting was to iron out discrepancies and to make sure that Camelot would in no way be considered the lesser of the two parties in the future.

Arthur agreed that in some instances it made sense to try to present a united force to marauding tribes, not that his opinion was sought; however he also preferred the fact of being in charge of all decisions and he knew that that would be unlikely if a treaty was agreed upon. He felt sure that his father felt the same way as it was obvious from his continual returning to the question as to who would have the final say.

The day outside was lovely and Arthur would have much preferred to be outside. His presence at the table was not one of necessity but solely a learning experience as one day in the distant future, he too would be expected to attend meetings on treaty discussions and be able to make an educated decision. His tutor would also be questioning him on the proceedings the next time they met.

He tried to force his mind back to the goings on at the table, trying not to yawn and flexed his leg muscles which were beginning to cramp due to lack of movement. He came back to the present as his father said, "Very well, Gentlemen, we will resume this discussion later this afternoon. I am pleased so far with the progress. Tomorrow afternoon, I would like to meet with King Algarf to discuss our proposals and to hear his."

The advisors made their way out and Arthur remained until he was dismissed as his father said, "Arthur, you may go. There will be no need for you to attend the afternoon session but I hope that you learned something of value from your attendance here this morning."

"Sire, I did! It was most informative," he said with a bow.

"You should attend more of these meetings in the future," his father said, turning on his heel and leaving him standing there. He was followed out by Sir Geoffrey and Sir Rupert, their subordinates and menservants.

Arthur looked around the room, Gaius who had been present in an honorary capacity was waiting for him at the door. Arthur raised his eyes to heaven and Gaius smiled at him saying, "I assure you that one day as Ruler of Camelot such meetings will be of interest."

"Well, I'd have much rather spent this morning with my fellow squires learning more about historical battles and practising the arts of defence than feeling that I was tied to a chair unable to move and being mentally tortured by the droning voices of old men."

"Thanks!" Gaius said.

Arthur laughed, "Come on, Gaius," he glanced around, "it's only the two of us, were you not even the little bit bored?"

"Well, some of them did go on for a rather long time but your father's points were valid and he made sense when he spoke as did Geoffrey!"

Martin was waiting outside the throne chamber and he followed Gaius and Arthur as they made their way downstairs and Arthur turned off at his staircase. "By the way," Arthur said, "I haven't seen your assistant around recently, did you send him on his way?"

Gaius's face softened noticeably as he said, "No! We're getting on fine. He's doing very well; actually he is a very quick learner and a pleasure to have around. He's company and makes sure that I have proper meals though sometimes I wonder exactly what it is that I am eating, at least he assures me it is nutritional and didn't cost too much money."

Arthur laughed, obviously the apprentice was holding his own and from Gaius's point of view everything was progressing smoothly.

-0-0-

Arthur made his way to join the squires. They had just finished lunch and they were full of the news that there was to be a display of their skills in sword and shield exercises before the royal visitors that afternoon. The lists were not yet posted but each one was hoping to see his name in at least one event.

After being soundly trounced by Sir Runolf, Arthur was less interested in being on display, as it were. Then he remembered the pleasant time afterwards when he had met Merlin who had spent time with him for the next couple of days as he regained his strength. He'd enjoyed his company and although he'd seen him wandering around he had never had the opportunity to have a good talk with him.

He had friends among the squires who were the sons of other Camelot knights, he'd known them for ages since they were pages together. A couple he was quite close to but their attitude towards him was somewhat more laced with respect for his position than Merlin's who really didn't seem to care less what his future aspirations were. He enjoyed that feeling. He and his friends had often talked about running away and imagined trying to live on their own wits. There had been much laughing as to how they would be able to survive in the woods and then again in a strange kingdom.

"We'd have no money nor weapons!" James had stated.

"Do you know how much it costs to buy even a second hand sword?" Maxwell had asked the group.

Selwyn said, "Well, I like horses, so I'd offer my services to some knight and be housed and hopefully trained as a squire."

"That would defeat the purpose of making a go of it on your own!" Arthur had insisted.

"Well then," Maxwell asked, "what would you do?"

He was interrupted by Jeff whom they referred to as The Heartbreaker because of his good looks, who explained that he would go to a medium-sized town and try to find a job at the manor house of a rich widower and hopefully manage to save the life of one of his daughters and in indebtedness to him, the widower would offer him the hand of his youngest daughter in marriage, Then he would confess that he was a squire from Camelot and they would all live happily ever after.

The others hooted. "You could do the same here by saving the life of the young Lady Amelia and her father would let you marry her," said Maxwell.

"Hold on a second, I have my eye on the Lady Amelia, I think a union between our two families would be suitable and well received by the king and the court," said the young Lord Selwyn of Ormskirk.

They continued discussing the pros and cons of surviving by themselves but slowly as more and more barriers were raised to its successful outcome, they decided that the best thing to do was to continue until they were knighted and well established and then if the feeling still persisted they would be better able to face the outside world.

Arthur knew that few of them would ever try it but he had a feeling that should he ever have to face the world, there was one person whom he would like to have at his side and that would be Merlin. Even though he was a couple of years younger, he had lived a life outside the castle and would have been more than capable and probably would have found a job and lived quite successfully. Arthur knew that he would have been an excellent travelling companion and that he would soon have been able to emulate Merlin's attitude towards life and his down to earth sensibility and willingness to work.

Coming out of his reverie to the words, "The lists are up!" He joined the others to see in which art of weaponry he would be involved. Just as he got to the lists, the squire master called him aside stating that the king wished him to be with him on the viewing stand as a spectator with the other guests.

The squire master seeing the flash of disappointment in Arthur's eyes said, "There is talk of a jousting exhibition and the possibility that some of the senior squires will be taking part, maybe the king has that in mind for you."

Arthur nodded and said, "I hope everything goes well this afternoon and I look forward to seeing my friends acquit themselves as capable squires." He walked away, disappointed as he heard the happy exclamations from those squires who had been chosen to participate.

He returned to his chamber to change into an outfit befitting a prince but then decided against it. He put on a fresh tunic and doublet, he had Martin bring out his best brown cloak which denoted that he was a squire and buckled on his sword. Then, in recognition that he was representing the kingdom, he put on his gold coronet. He then flung the brown cloak over his shoulders. He felt proud to be a squire and the visiting royal family knew who he was so wearing his squire's outfit just reinforced that he was involved with the other squires who would be entertaining them this afternoon.

When he and Martin entered the training grounds, Martin remained at the bottom of the stairs to the viewing stand as Arthur joined his father and guests. He was feeling a little apprehensive for his father's reaction but his father looked at him, nodded and smiled. He'd got the message and accepted it. Suddenly, Arthur was looking forward to seeing the display, he was seated next to the older son of King Algarf, a thirteen year old who had confided that he would have liked to be a page but that his mother was against it but that if everything went according to plan, he would have the chance next year as a fourteen year old to begin training with the other squires as up until now he had had his own sword's master.

Arthur had assured him that it was more fun with people of his own age and happily chatted to him during any intermissions. It was during one of these intermissions that he noticed Gaius and Merlin standing watching the competitions. For a second he wished he had been standing beside them but then realised they were probably on call in case some injury occurred.

He kept an eye on them the whole time and when Merlin at one point glanced in his direction he nodded at him. He knew that Gaius had seen it and he smiled in his direction as well.

-0-0-

Arthur and Merlin didn't meet up again for some time. The royal visitors left and Arthur had a quick glance of Gaius and Merlin at the farewell supper but no opportunity presented itself for anything more than a nod.

He didn't go out of his way to seek out Merlin but had a habit of glancing around to see if he were present at any large gathering. On a few odd occasions, he'd seen him in the courtyard as he looked out his window. Seldom did the apprentice make his way across the yard without being greeting by others going about their business. Arthur noted that he seemed to be known by many of the younger knights and put that down to the number of times they must have presented themselves at Gaius's door with sprains or nasty cuts and scratches.

Years ago, one of the recently invested knights was involved in a fight with bandits and was wounded. It was just before the Camelot Games and not wanting to be sidelined by injury, the young man kept it a secret. The injury which had started out with a nasty nick on the inside of the lower thigh, when brought to the attention of Gaius by one of the knight's friends who was worried about him, had become grossly infected. Everything Gaius had attempted to relieve the swelling and pain in the leg had been useless...the infection thrived.

Finally in desperation, Gaius had recommended to Sir Rupert the Senior Knight that amputation was in his opinion the only solution if the young man was to survive. Young Sir Malachi was in no condition to have any say in the procedure as he was at that point in and out of consciousness.

Through the grapevine, Arthur had learned that the operation had been done and the young man had survived the surgery. After a long convalescence he was seen hobbling on crutches around the castle accompanying one of the retired knights who worked in the library. Malachi had a hidden talent as he was an excellent artist and his skill with brushes and knives kept him occupied. Arthur smiled, he himself had an oil of the castle nestled in the valley, which had been painted by Malachi.

Not all such skirmishes ended positively and guards and knights were often lost in battles. Depending upon the location, the bodies were sometimes returned to the castle for burial but in some instances, the dead were buried where they fell.

A shiver went through Arthur as he remembered the first knight's funeral he had attended as a young child. He had been very excited with all the pomp and ceremony but the overall seriousness and sadness of the occasions had stayed with him and his nursemaid had trouble convincing him that it was safe to fall asleep at night. She promised she would stay nearby and be there when he woke up the next morning.

"Not like Sir Chadron?" he had said sadly, "He won't be getting up will he?"

She shook her head but had assured him that when the sun got up and cast its light over the castle, everyone else would get up, have breakfast and begin a new day. She also regretted not taking it upon herself to prepare Arthur mentally for the funeral. Sir Chadron had been married with a young family; as was customary his wife had been present at a distance with her friends but none of his children.

It had been the king's decision to have Arthur present. Not that he had even acknowledged him standing beside him if she had remembered correctly.

He glanced down into the courtyard and all the people had changed and Merlin was nowhere to be seen.

-0-0-

Arthur found Merlin but didn't approach him, he watched him from afar. Merlin went from patch to patch of vegetation pausing, sometimes squatting to examine something in particular before moving on to another section, where he would kneel and start to break off specific leaves which he carefully held until he had a handful before slipping them into his satchel.

He was so engrossed in the job that Arthur was able to get up close to him and leant against a tree watching him and listening to him singing quietly to himself.

Merlin had been conscious of Arthur since he had arrived on the scene but there was nothing to say that the prince didn't have the right to observe people who were working in his father the king's forest.

As he placed his last handful of herbs, into his bag, he smiled to himself and said in a level voice, "Seen enough? I'm planning to return to the castle, care to join me?"

Arthur almost snorted, how did Merlin get off asking him to join him in returning to the castle. He'd played in these woods since he was a kid, he knew exactly where he was and had no need for a relative newcomer to accompany him home. He was about to say just that and Merlin turned and grinned at him not at all perturbed to have been the subject of his scrutiny. The grin caught Arthur off guard and he found himself saying, "Did you get everything which Gaius wanted?"

"Still a few elusive plants, however I did really well and he'll be thrilled as it will keep him out of the woods until midweek at least."

The two of them waked along silently until Merlin suddenly left the path crying out in surprise to return with one rather frail looking brown stalk. Arthur could see that he was excited and smiled. Merlin's face had lit up as he'd said, "Gaius assured me that there was not a single Ramstooth fern here and look, I found some!"

He handed it to Arthur and their hands brushed. Merlin seemed oblivious but Arthur was conscious of the touch and the tingling sensation of heat following it which he was later going to attribute to pleasure. He hoped the instinctive pulling back of his hand had gone unnoticed by Merlin.

Merlin carefully placed the specimen with the others and gave a satisfied sigh. "A good day's work, if you ask me!" He made no reference to Arthur's reaction to his touch, just shouldered his bag and followed Arthur back to the main path.

He walked one step behind Arthur which made talking difficult and Arthur finally stopped saying, "Unless you have a reason for not doing so, you can walk beside me."

Merlin caught up and laughed saying, "It wasn't intentional just that with my satchel on this side I would have been bumping you on each stride."

Arthur grinned and walked behind Merlin to take his place on his right saying, "Only problem is that I shall take you out if I have to use my sword."

"Expecting to meet bandits or the like? Don't worry, I'll protect you!"

This caused Arthur to laugh, "Merlin, by the time you got your wits about you, I'd have the foe run though and dispatched!"

"But it might just have been some soul wandering innocently through the woods."

"Tough! Rule number one, don't wander through the forests of Camelot looking suspicious and dressed as a bandit if you don't want to be challenged."

"I'll take that under consideration, the next time I venture into the woods alone!" Merlin said with a grin.

-0-0-

Returning after an afternoon training session, Arthur walked up the stairs to his chamber thinking about his future as a squire and finally a knight.

The squires had practical training as they sometimes accompanied the knights on overnight expeditions, always ones which seemed to entail sleeping out and usually in inclement weather. Only the senior squires ever went into battles with the knights and that was usually as servants to help with armour, horses and setting up camp. In some kingdoms, the knights even dragged pages into battles with them. The mortality rate was high as most of the youngsters wore no armour and carried no weapons.

Uther was reticent to send even the younger squires to battle but Arthur was of the age when a few years would see him invested and like his classmates he was eager to be involved. It was all right training with weapons but needing to defend yourself against an enemy would prove if any of the hours spent had been successful.

In his position, Arthur knew that he would be involved in only minor skirmishes but just listening to knights discussing their first battles had sent the blood coursing in his veins. He knew that when the time came, he would be ready to defend Camelot.

Two years would see him competing in the preliminary rounds of the annual Camelot tournament. Not that he would have any chance of progressing too far, however it was an honour to reach the level of ability when he would be considered. The Squire Master and the knights involved with their training would suggest that certain senior squires were ready and they would be allowed to participate.

His mind came back to the present and he had a flash of Sir Runolf's singular determination to see him flat on his back and at his mercy in front of his father. A shiver went up his back as he realised that in any battle, should he be identified as the crown prince, there would be a prize on his head.

He was miles away and a voice interrupted his thoughts and he turned to see Merlin standing below his window calling to him. Not really done to yell at the crown prince from the courtyard as if he were a local but for some reason Arthur found it charming. He grinned back and motioned that he would be down in a few minutes.

Sir Rupert who had witnessed the exchange smiled, he was impressed with Gaius's young apprentice and pleased to see that the prince felt comfortable with him. The king was well within his rights to insist on a strict regime for his son; however Sir Rupert felt that life was more than study and training and he felt that exposure to someone who lived beyond the military aspect of the castle would benefit the young prince.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6 : A LEARNING EXPERIENCE**

Arthur went down the stairs and out into the courtyard, Merlin was now surrounded by a group of children who were fascinated by whatever he was holding. One of the nursemaids saw Arthur approaching are whispered to her charges, "The prince…!" The children immediately pulled back leaving a clear path for Arthur who smiled at them recognising them as the young sons and daughters of Camelot knights.

"What have we got here?" he said.

One little mite explained, "Merlin has a baby swan and he says that Gaius is going to make it all better."

Arthur smiled, Gaius might be the court physician but since Merlin had arrived his skill had been called upon in healing a few unfortunate individuals which Merlin had the habit of rescuing. Ordinarily all animal injuries were seen to by the stockmen or in the case of horses the head grooms but there were a few instances of hedgehogs, baby goats and even little rabbits receiving care from Merlin and indirectly Gaius. Life was hard in the woods, as if you couldn't keep up you were left behind to the mercies of the wild dogs and local hunters. You might only be small but if a family were hard up and starving, a baby rabbit stew was better than no meat at all.

The animal sitting on Merlin's lap and encircled by his arms was a cygnet the size of a goose. Arthur gauged it to be around five months, born in the Spring. It was frightened and although it had been checking out the little children, as he approached it hid its head in Merlin's armpit. Arthur smiled, even a bird knew that it was safe with Merlin.

The little chap Goodwin who had first spoken was joined by his sister who said, "We're not going to eat it, are we, Merlin?" She turned to Arthur and said seriously, "Gaius will make it better and then Merlin will put it back on the lake. Won't you, Merlin?"

"That is right, young Lady Marion, if everything goes well, we will return it to the lake and its family." Merlin assured them.

The nursemaids collected their charges and walked away leaving Merlin and the crown prince to talk in private.

"Do they always do that?" Merlin asked.

"Do what?"

"Make way for you?"

"I've never thought about it, whenever I arrive there seems to be a clear path ahead of me and I just walk towards the action. Why?"

"Guess, it's the perks of the job!"

"What does that mean? Doesn't sound too nice"

"It means that in your position you are entitled to certain luxuries which would not normally be offered to another person. Such as having to wait it line, you get to go right to the head of the queue."

Arthur shrugged, "Next time, I'm pushed to the front because of my position in life and what awaits me at the end is not pleasant, I'll remember that and insist that you precede me and deal with any negativity on my behalf."

Merlin laughed and stood up and they walked towards Gaius's chambers however, they were intercepted by none other than the king and his entourage. Uther eyed the cygnet in Merlin's arms and said, "Great! What a lovely thought, young swan this evening!" He motioned to one of his guards.

Arthur seeing the panicked look in Merlin's eyes, interrupted and said, "Father, it is injured, it is going to Gaius to be treated."

Uther glared at his son for daring to interrupt him, "Silly idea! Gaius does not work here to waste time on animals…" He motioned again to one of the guards to take the bird which immediately went into defence mode and snapped at the man giving him a nasty cut to his cheek. The guard struck out at the bird and unintentionally hit Merlin who still managed to hang onto his patient.

Seeing comedy in the situation, Uther laughed and a burly guard wrestled the bird from Merlin and dispatched it with one mighty twist to its neck. He bowed at Uther, swung it over his shoulder and made his way to the kitchens behind the castle.

Arthur was shocked but at the same time glad that the children had left the courtyard. He glanced at Merlin and wanted to rush forward and wrap his arms around him. He didn't deserve to be treated that way, the smack to the side of his head was bleeding and he had tears on his face. For a second, Arthur was worried that he was going to barrel into his father as he had his hands clenched at his waist but as he watched him, he seemed to gain control and let his head drop down in submission to the wishes of the king and stood there.

Before walking away, Uther said to Sir Rupert who was beside him, "Join me, we shall dine well tonight!" Sir Rupert bowed in acceptance but Arthur could tell that he was less than happy at being singled out for such an invitation.

Uther got in a parting shot as he said to the still bowed head in front of him, "Maybe your time, young man, is wasted with Gaius I should have you as my personal swan hunter!" There was a smattering of reserved laughter from the knights surrounding their king, then the group crossed the courtyard

Merlin and Arthur were left alone and Merlin sank back on the bench. Arthur said quietly, "I'm sorry! "

Merlin smiled weakly and said, "At least he went quickly…better than starving on a river bank or being used as a target by village boys with stones or torn apart by hunting dogs." He paused and turned his face to Arthur, "He wasn't doing anyone any harm and Gaius could have fixed his wing…"

"I'd apologise for my father's actions but…"

"Don't even try, he's not a bad man just that he thinks of himself before anyone or anything else. He was raised that way…" his voice lowered as he added, "however, you Arthur…you will be different."

They sat on the bench in the sun Merlin thinking of what might have been and Arthur reliving what had happened.

Suddenly, Arthur said, "You and Gaius should eat with me tonight."

"I feel that I won't be very good company!"

Arthur stood pulling Merlin to his feet saying, "Let me be the judge of that…!"

-0-0-

Gaius was unavailable for supper so Merlin made the trip to Arthur's chambers by himself. He explained that Gaius was on call as he had been asked to attend the Lady Bettina the wife of Sir Wickworth. She was in labour with her fifth child and after last years' loss of twins, her husband wanted Gaius to be in attendance.

"She almost died you know," Arthur said. "Martin's wife is one of her maidservants and she was vey upset. To loose two little boys and then possibly their mother was very difficult for everyone."

Merlin was used to Gaius returning from a laying in and if he just shook his head, he knew not to ask about the well-being of the new arrival. His mother Hunith was the midwife in Ealdor so he was well aware that many children did not survive those first few weeks or even being born for that matter.

"Let's hope that this time the news is good," he said smiling at Arthur. "Don't you usually eat with the other squires?"

"I usually join them after I've had breakfast and then have classes, lunch and training with them. Supper is up to me. Sometimes I am expected to join my father if he is entertaining and be present for the meal. Not unlike, being called out to perform, I am just expected to look the part of the crown prince and show deference to my father's utterances, be pleasant to his guests and converse intelligently with the people on either side of me.

"If I am lucky I might be seated next to someone interesting but one evening, I sat beside an elderly visiting knight who mumbled on and on abut his lands on the eastern coast and how he was forever battling the invading Gauls. He told me more than I would ever need to know of river fortifications and weir fishing traps." He paused before adding, "…and I managed to keep a straight face throughout and was more than relieved to hear my father say that the ladies might leave, which meant that I was no longer needed and I made a beeline for the door."

"Hopefully, Arthur, tonight will not be as stressful; however should I go off on an uninteresting tangent, I give you full permission to tell me to shut up."

Arthur smiled, Merlin was so easy to like. He decided that tonight's supper would be no hardship and the conversation would be not only interesting but also informative and amusing even.

There was a tap on the door as Martin followed by another manservant entered the chambers with platters. Soon the table was set, Martin said as he left, "I have left the sweets and extra wine on the sideboard and will return to collect the platters later."

Arthur stood up from where he was sitting near the fire and walked to the table saying, "No need, have an early night as I can manage until tomorrow."

Martin bowed and withdrew, he hoped that the covers would be carefully placed on all the platters and bowls of uneaten food as otherwise the mice would have the time of their lives. Mice and rats were a regular occurrence in any chambers where food was served. If no food was available, they happily gnawed at leather and wood until they decided to move on to richer pastures.

The kitchens were paradise for any mice which managed to evade the cats which hung around. Martin was sure that over the years, mice had fallen into cauldrons and pots and been cooked along with the ingredients of the meal. The refuse heap outside the kitchen was a great place for the village children to sharpen their hunting skills as large rats were also found there.

Years ago, he had started checking exactly what it was that he was putting into his mouth and to this day he was careful. His grandfather had instilled this into him as he would tell stories of the kitchens attached to the barracks and how regularly one of the guards would swear an oath before flinging a cooked mouse at the wall.

His mood brightened as he thought that he had the whole evening and night ahead of him as he would only need to be up in time to get Arthur's breakfast. Not that his lovely wife would be joining him as she would be spending the night with the Lady Bettina and the midwife.

-0-0-

The meal was to Arthur's liking and he smiled as Merlin kept pace with him as they ate the fish pottage followed by roast venison, seasonal vegetable and thick coarse bread. It was filling and nutritious. Growing up Merlin had survived on wild game and fish as had the other villagers but sometimes a hunter might stumble upon an elderly deer no longer able to bound away or one injured by a fall. He would kill it and return to the village to get willing hands to being it home. Any meat was considered a gift and they would take advantage of it by dividing it among the villagers with the choicest parts going to the lucky huntsman, the village headsman and the men and boys who had helped carry it back to the village.

Nothing was wasted. The hide would finally be made into boots, mittens and jackets, the bones boiled to make marrow soup and the antlers if any to decorate the huntsman house or bartered for something at the market in one of the neighbouring larger village.

Merlin smiled, his mother was often the recipient of gifts for the work she did helping to alleviate suffering and mend the wounded. She might not be paid but when things were bountiful she often opened the door to a child dropping off some food from his thankful parents or a young man seen busily replenishing her wood pile.

Noticing his smile, Arthur remarked, "The food is to your liking?"

Merlin nodded, "Brings back memories of home," and he told Arthur how his whole village would benefit when hunting was good.

Arthur was fascinated by Merlin's stories, he made his friends and the other villagers into real people, for the prince whom over the years had little to do with villagers apart from those whom he saw his father honouring for their good works or belittling for their laziness. He also saw others being tried for their transgressions whatever they might have been, hunting in the king's forest for one.

Areas were set aside for commoners to hunt but the king's reserve was off limit regardless of how hungry you and your family might be. In the depth of winter, poaching was often a necessity for even the best intentioned villagers. It usually started with laying a few rabbit or squirrel snares but in some cases progressed to lying in wait for the king's deer or purposely chasing them out of the king's reserve and onto common land so they could be killed within the parameters of the law.

Poaching was so frowned upon that many times the guilty party was returned to the castle in much worse condition than when he had been apprehended. What belonged to the king was the king's whether deer or boar. Merlin had heard stories of one repeat offender being blinded as a punishment.

Knowing that Merlin had lived with his mother prior to coming to work for Gaius, he would have loved to have asked him more about his extended family. He had made reference to the fact that he did not know his father and Arthur was afraid that if he asked too many questions, Merlin might tell him that it was none of his damn business and stalk away leaving him all alone.

He liked company while he ate. Real company, someone to talk with not just a servant standing by the wall waiting for him to finish so that he could clear away the dishes, return to the kitchen and then turn in. As he grew, it had been ingrained into him that he was not to talk to the servants except to ask them to get him something. He could talk to his personal manservant in reference to his family but nothing more personal that that.

If he wanted to have conversations, he could talk to his tutors, his fellow squires and Gaius. Time permitting, he used to have chats with Gaius. He had even dared to broach the subject of his mother, whose name was never mentioned except by his nursemaids when he was little. It was as if she had never existed in Camelot.

Gaius had explained that his father had been heartbroken when she had died and even to this day missed her. It just hurt him too much to be reminded of her. Arthur could understand that but also had a feeling that given the choice Uther would quite willingly have exchanged the life of his newly born son for that of his beloved wife.

He came back to the present as Merlin was talking about woods and their inhabitants.

"Do you hate people killing your deer?"

"My deer, they're not mine, they belong to the king and indirectly the kingdom, not me!"

"If they were your deer would you let people kill them if it were an emergency or would you expect their families to starve to death?"

"I've never thought of it like that. My father says people go hungry because they are too lazy to work...I've never thought about it before."

Merlin suggested that some villagers might be lazy but others work hard even if they sometimes failed. "I wouldn't want to be a villager," he concluded.

"But you were!" Arthur gently insisted.

"Yes but if I had known about Gaius and the castle, I would have been here sooner."

Arthur smiled although his rational was strange, he liked listening to Merlin's take on the ordinary things in life. He had ideas which none of the squires would have come up with and he was looking forward to introducing the same ideas in conversations he had with tutors just to see what their opinion would be on the topic.

"You know my father does look after the poor who come to Camelot. When times are bad such as when summer crops fail and an early winter is upon us, hundreds of people line up daily for their quota of grain. I don't think it is easy ruling a kingdom."

"I am sure he does his best but not all hungry people are able to get to the castle, the grain needs to be taken to them. Just think you were a widower like Jack Sliplish…" Arthur grinned at him and raised his eyebrows, "…with five mouths to feed. You can't jut pack up and leave all those youngsters on their own to travel to Camelot for one meagre portion of grain. If necessary you must pack up and move lock stock and barrel to the town."

"Maybe you might be a widower with five kids but not me, I don't intend to get married and certainly not have any children," Arthur insisted.

"You'll be expected to get married and produce at least one child or your family line will die out and then who would be the King of Camelot?"

That set Arthur thinking about who would take over after him. It would seem funny to be king but that was what he was being trained for every day whether he liked it or not. He wondered if his father had always wanted to be king or if he sometimes wished that he was just any ordinary member of the nobility without any pressing problems or responsibilities. He raised his goblet to his mouth and drained his remaining wine.

"Would you like some more wine? Merlin asked him.

"Only if you do."

"No, to be honest, I don't like the taste. Given my choice, it would be water then a pale ale like the Widow Snoud used to make in Ealdor. She was most popular as everyone wanted to be on good terms with her especially during the holidays. She was ancient must have been in her sixties and due to an accident in her late twenties got around on crutches. She was excellent at brewing and sometimes gave my mother a hand with her batches of herbal remedies."

Arthur was fascinated by Merlin's experiences that he knew a lady brewmaster or should that be brewmistress or just plain alewife even though she was widowed. He decided there and then that one day he would visit this village of Ealdor and meet for himself all the interesting residents.

They heard the guard in the courtyard call out that all was clear and Merlin stood up and said formally, "Thank you, Your Royal Highness, for an enjoyable evening. The meal was excellent as was the company.

Arthur almost fell off his chair laughing, not something he expected to hear a boy from a village say,

He was to learn later that Merlin had many hidden talents.

Merlin laughed and explained that he had to return to Gaius's or he would never be able to get out of bed in the morning. However, he first insisted on clearing off the table and piling everything on the side board.

"There is so much good food left, do you think I might take a little of the venison for Gaius? He probably won't be in until early tomorrow and he'll appreciate the chance to have something to eat."

Arthur insisted on filling a bowl with the remaining food and sent Merlin on his way. He smiled to himself. He'd found a friend all by himself, not one who had been pushed on him because his father felt that it might be beneficial in the future. He was glad that Merlin had come to Camelot.

He lay in bed later that night thinking of the various things which Merlin had said. Maybe in bad times, the commoners should be allowed to hunt on the king's land and possibly wagons of grain could be delivered to villagers in need…maybe he would have to get married and produce a child.

He then thought of the happy look on Merlin's face as he clasped the bowl of uneaten food to take to Gaius and thought of all the food that was returned to the kitchen's following feasts. He decided to find out what happened to it. Having listened to Merlin he hoped that it went to the servants of the castle and wasn't just thrown out.

He had so many questions he wanted to ask him about his life growing up and he hoped that he would be in Camelot with Gaius for a long time. He smiled to himself thinking of how their hands had touched in the woods and the effect it had had on him…if Merlin would let him, he would like to be his friend.

 **THE END**

 **A sequel to this story entitled 'LASTING IMPRESSIONS' will be posted shortly.**


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